Anita Ofili
Court, psychiatric home, DPP reject murder suspect; police in dilemma
Anita Ofili, who allegedly stabbed her friend, Glory Okon, to death few weeks ago in her residence at Greenville Estate, Ajah area of Lagos state is in the news again.
This time around, she has not just been rejected by the magistrate court, but a psychiatric home where she was to be sent, leaving the police to continue bearing the burden of keeping her in their cell.
Her travails started mid-March after she invited her long time friend, Gloria Okon to her house to spend the weekend together.
There were two versions to the tragedy that later played out.
Police sources said Anita, 42, claimed that her friend, Gloria, went downstairs to fetch water to go to toilet and she was angry with her for doing that.
Subsequently, they started abusing each other and her visitor was telling her that if she knew she was going to treat her harshly, she should not have invited her to spend the weekend with her.
Their argument reportedly degenerated into fisticuffs and Anita brought a knife and stabbed her on the neck and other parts of her body leading to her death.
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Another version claimed Anita stabbed Glory to death because she snatched her boyfriend from her 10 years ago.
However, after her arrest and interrogation by a team of detectives from Lamgbasa police station, the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department, FCIID, Panti, Yaba, where the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Waheed Ayilara, directed that more discreet investigations be carried out.
It was learned that she started exhibiting traits of mental illness inside the cell where she was confined.
Most of the times, she was seen talking to herself and challenging unseen companions to a fight.
She would show signs of sanity at times but would flare up the next minute, pouring tantrums and posing as if an unseen attacker was before her.
To worsen her plight, nobody showed up as her relation.
Vanguard gathered that based on this, detectives hastily concluded investigations and took her to Magistrate Court 3, Yaba, only to be confronted with another shocking and bizarre drama.
Police sources said that when her case was mentioned and she was called to stand in the dock, she started displaying her insanity.
According to sources, as soon as she was asked to enter the dock by Magistrate Balogun, she started displaying insanity.
“She was not behaving normal at all and that made the magistrate to stop hearing the case and call for another case.
“She was rejected and referred back to the police to enable her get proper treatment,” a source said.
Police sources said that the rejection worsened their plight and decisions were taken immediately to transfer her to a psychiatric home for treatment only for the home to insist on the payment of N500,000 before she would be admitted.
“We know what we suffered while she was in our cell. We were contributing money to feed and tend to her and that rejection worsened our plight raising the question of who will pay the demanded N500,000.
“One of her family members who showed up later could not help the situation.
“She, however, confirmed that Anita has no husband, no child and has been visiting psychiatric hospital for treatment.
“She also said she may have stopped taking her drugs and that might have made her commit the offence.
“We also sought advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP, who said she must be properly treated before facing prosecution.
“As it were, we are still being forced to continue bearing the burden without help from anywhere,” another source added.
Meanwhile, police sources said that a team of lawyers from Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, led by the Chairman of Human Rights Committee, Ikeja branch, Mrs. Tracy Amadigwe-Dike, that visited the Deputy Commissioner of Police few days ago, promised to help over the situation which was described as ‘very unfortunate’.
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